This is the Life
by Production of Punk
Summary: AU Buffy Summers moved to Sunnydale with her mom. She was instantly popular but what happens when she falls for poor, geeky William Giles?
1. Sunnydale High's New Girl

**A/N: So, I'm giving this another shot. I am very impatient and sorta reckless, I guess. So here I am, giving this story a second chance.**

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Buffy Summers stood facing her new locker. It glared back defiantly. She started her attack on it. It was putting up a good fight too. Then a group of girls came over and helped her out. She was a little hesitant at first. This was her first day of school and she wanted to make the right decisions.

"Hi. I'm Cordelia. You're the new girl, aren't you? That skirt is so beautiful. Where'd you get it?" a brunette with very expensive looking clothes introduced herself. She then gave the locker a quick bang and it popped open. Buffy gave her a thankful smile. The group of girls behind her looked annoyed, as if Buffy wasn't worth their time.

"I'm Buffy, yes and I got it in LA." The petite blonde smiled at them. They were very much like the girls that she used to hang out with at her old school in Los Angeles. She didn't have so much fun with them. They only talked about make-up and hott guys. But change is a scary thing so Buffy tried to make with the girls she immediately identified as 'Bitches who Rule School'.

"Is that where you moved from?" Cordelia feigned interest.

"Yeah. It's total culture shock." She said. Cordelia giggled and the girls following behind rolled their eyes.

"I know. I used to live there but my dad thought it would be a nice experience for me if we moved to Sunnydale so here I am."

"Does anything ever happen here?"

"Is that what you're expecting because if so, I might as well be the first to crush your hopes brutally and vigorously."

"So…that would be a no?"

"Yes. Don't worry, Buffy. We'll make sure that you know what's happening and all that other crap. We got your back. We know everything that's anything that's going on in this hellhole we call a school."

"Much thanks!" Buffy smiled. She walked with them around school, noting all the cute guys and also noting how Cordelia and her cronies treated people that they saw were geeks or losers or freaks or something to that extent. The blonde (fake, Buffy was pretty sure) that had introduced herself as Harmony knocked books out of people's hands and made snide comments on wardrobe and style and fashion. Buffy didn't want to stand up for them but she didn't partake in the torturing of the school outcasts festivities. She just wanted to be accepted. So she just hung back, not bothering anyone.

Then there was a large group standing in the hall. Buffy knew that they would be there in a split second and they were. "Come on," Cordelia looped her arm through Buffy's. "There's something going on."

Buffy wasn't sure what the large group was doing but when she found out, she was horrified! They were beating the shit out of an innocent kid! He was not very popular to put it nicely and to put it not so nicely he was a total geek. He had curly brown hair and round wire-rimmed glasses. He dressed in a blue and white and green plaid shirt that was tucked neatly into his khaki Dockers. His shoes were like something that her grandpa would wear but behind all that, she knew that he was absolutely gorgeous. He had such beautiful, clear blue eyes and high cheekbones. He was a human being and she could see that but apparently the people who were cheering and kicking and beating the living daylights outta that guy didn't. She felt compelled to stop them all.

"Stop it!" she yelled. The group harassing the unfortunate guy stopped briefly to look at the interruption. A big guy, probably the quarterback for the football team, stepped forward and smiled. "Hey cutie. Don't like us picking on little William?"

"No. I don't." she stood her ground like her mom had always taught her to. She even stuck her chin out defiantly! Ha! Take _that_ quarterback!

Cordelia rushed up behind her. "Buffy, stop it. This is like social suicide except ten times worse because you're trying to defend the king of nerdom." Cordelia whispered desperately. Then the bell rang and everyone headed off to class without a second glance at the guy that was being hurt so badly, that he was in silent tears. Cordelia looked expectantly at Buffy and Buffy nodded and told her that she would catch up. Cordelia shrugged and strut off to class with her groupies.

Buffy looked over at the guy that the football played had called William. She felt very sorry for him. He looked so… weak on the floor, trying to gather his things together while his eyes were running and he was trying to stifle it. He was trying to keep it together but it wasn't working and his hurt seeped through his attempts to be composed like the way blood flowed from a fresh open wound.

"William?" Buffy asked softly so as not to scare him.

He stopped scrambling around on the floor and looked up. Buffy offered him her hand and helped him up.

"Are you alright?" Buffy asked sympathetically. Then she winced. "Of course you're not alright. You just got kicked the crap out of by the whole football team in front of everyone."

"Thank you f-for standing up for me." He sniffled and wiped his eyes. Why was she being so nice to 'Wimpy William'? What could she possibly want with him? Was she just messing with him? Would she actually go to that much trouble just to humiliate him all over again? William was so unsure. He was sure however, that this girl was an angel. A very beautiful one.

"It's ok. I'm Buffy, by the way." She smiled at him and kneeled down to help him pick up the rest of his things. She picked up his glasses and placed them tenderly back on his face. He shied away from her. Girls aren't usually this nice to him, especially pretty popular girls like Buffy. They never even bothered to give him second glance. This confused him. Buffy confused him.

"William." He introduced himself.

Buffy smiled. "I know."

William blushed, making Buffy's smile even wider. "We should probably head off to class."

"Uh-huh." William agreed. He brushed himself off and began to walk away.

"Hey, William?" Buffy called. He turned around. "Would you please show me where my first class is?"

He was startled but agreed, being the gentleman that he is. "S-sure."

Buffy smiled at him. "I have government first in room…" she checked her syllabi. "114."

William smiled and nodded. "It's this way."

"William, why does everyone pick on you like that? Don't you ever stand up for yourself?" Buffy asked after a couple of moments of not very awkward but not very comfortable silence passed.

"I don't know why they pick on me. I suppose it is because I am a nerd. A geek. A nerdy geek. And as for standing up for myself, I don't know. I just can't do it." He hung his head down as if ashamed of himself. Buffy stopped them. "Hey. Don't be that way. You're a great guy! Way better than a lot of the guys here, I'm sure. Just don't put yourself down like you do. You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are. They should be ashamed for beating you for being who you are."

He smiled gratefully at her.

"My mom taught me that." She smiled.

"Your mom is a smart woman."

"She is. That's one of the reasons why I love her so much. I admire how she can raise my sister, Dawnie, and I while being a single mother. She's like Wonder Woman except without the costume."

"Your parents aren't together anymore?" he asked timidly. Conversation with girls was not something that happened often for a guy like William. In fact, this was the first conversation that he's had with a girl that wasn't his friend, Willow Rosenburg.

"No. But it's ok because my dad is an ass, really."

He blushed at her use of foul language.

Buffy laughed. He liked that sound. It was musical. "You need to stop blushing so much even if it is really, really cute."

That caused him to blush even more.

"Don't be so embarrassed all the time. Just have fun and be yourself. Go with the flow."

William nodded, still wondering why Buffy was bothering to talk to him at all. He was not a football player. He hated football. He wasn't a comedian. He couldn't be funny if his life _and_ his parents' lives depended on it. He wasn't a romancer. He's never even been kissed. He wasn't anything. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself.

"Are your parents divorced?" she asked, hoping that the question wasn't too personal.

"No. They are happily married and I'm hoping that they will stay that way." He smiled. He liked talking to Buffy. She made him feel a degree of importance. It wasn't something that he normally experienced.

Buffy smiled and nodded, looking down. "I'm happy that my mom is happy but sometimes I wonder if she really isn't. Soon, she'll want to date and that'll be ick." She shuddered slightly.

William chuckled. "Well, you want what's best for her don't you?"

Buffy nodded slowly, having a slight idea of where he was going with it.

"Then don't you want her to be happy too?"

Buffy wondered how to answer his question. "I do but there's just not a great enough guy out there for her."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Torture sessions to the adolescents.

"Wow." Buffy exclaimed. "We've been talking for awhile now."

"I'm so sorry for making you late for your first class on your first day here. It was all my fault." William apologized quickly.

Buffy giggled. "Don't worry about it, Will."

"Buffy!" Cordelia called, coming from behind them. She didn't even look at William. It was as if she looked right through him. He was invisible to her and the rest of the school. "What's your next class?"

"Uh…" she turned around and to her dismay, William was nowhere in sight. She sighed. " Math."


	2. Next Door Neighbor

This is the Life- chapter 2

Buffy managed to go to the rest of her classes and then it was finally lunch period. She was walking with Cordelia at her side and pretending to listen to everything that the brunette was talking about. _What was she talking about? Football? No, I don't think that that was it…Oh! I got it! The football player! Oh damn. What was his name again? Was it…Jack? No. Maybe it was Jason…no. That's not I either…. Ok! I got it! Jacob… That doesn't sound right either… I know it started with a J…_

They got their lunch and were about to go to a table when Cordelia gasped.

"Buffy! There he is! Is my hair good?" Cordelia whispered urgently, while her hands ran hurriedly through her hair.

"Uh…there who is?"

"Angel! You know? The guy we were talking about for about fifteen minutes. Football player, muscular, damn sexy… Got it now?"

"Oh. Yeah!" _Wow. Angel. A. I was a little off…_ "Your hair looks fine, Cordelia." Buffy smiled encouragingly.

"Good." She walked confidently over to Angel and the rest of the football players at the lunch table. She noticed that Buffy wasn't following her and then quickly went back and dragged her with. "Hi, Angel."

"Hey, Cordelia. Nice practice yesterday." He replied while eyeing Buffy up and down.

Buffy covered herself with her arms, feeling naked and uncomfortable under his speculation.

Cordelia giggled flirtatiously. "Thank you. You had a nice game practice yesterday too."

"Thanks. _Some _people, however-" he glared at a boy with sandy blonde hair- " did not give it their all."

Said boy that was being glared at spoke up. "Are we talking about me here?"

The whole table nodded.

"I told you guys! I twisted my ankle!" he defended himself.

"Since when is that an excuse?" Angel asked.

"Angel is captain of the football team. And they are so going to win this year. Especially with cheerleaders like us!" Cordelia told Buffy who just smiled weakly and nodded.

"So, Buffy. Are you trying out for cheerleader?" Angel asked, keeping his eyes on her.

Buffy was scanning the cafeteria for a certain boy that she had talked to earlier but couldn't find him. "Huh?"

"Are you trying out for cheerleading?" he asked again. He obviously did not like being ignored.

Buffy began to shake her head no but then Cordelia stepped in. "Of course she is! She'll probably make it too."

Buffy's shoulders drooped. This day wasn't going as good as she thought it would.

First off, she missed her first class. Second, she couldn't find William anywhere! Third, there was some football player hitting on her and not getting the hint that she WAS NOT INTERESTED! And fourth, she was now trying out for a cheerleader. Great…

The day droned on and didn't get any better. That is, until she went home. She parked her little Toyota Camry in the driveway and locked her car. Then she noticed another car passing by. It was a hott car. A very hott car. A Mercedes. A very expensive Mercedes. The owner of it parked the car in the driveway of the house next to hers. Then the owner of the very hott, very expensive car revealed himself. It was William!

Buffy smiled involuntarily. "Hi, Will!"

William looked up and blushed but smiled and waved anyways. "H-hello, Buffy."

She quickly made her way over to William. "Today, I was looking all over the place for you but I didn't find you anywhere."

"I was there." He replied.

"Well, that's kinda weird. I knew you were there and had to be somewhere. Anywhere! But you weren't somewhere or anywhere. It was like you were nowhere."

He smiled at her un-understandable rant. "I was with my dad."

Buffy smiled. That smile didn't last as long as William hoped it would. "But you said you were in school."

"I was."

"With your dad?"

"Yes."

"I am sure that I would have spotted a British man wandering around our hallways with you."

William smiled. She had noticed his accent! And it was a smallish detail but it made his stomach flutter to know that she paid at least a little attention to him. "We were in the library."

"Oh. But today is a school day, which almost always means that it's a workday."

"It is."

"So…your dad is a…student?" she laughed.

He laughed at her little game also. "I think that you can put two and two together."

"Being the librarian and all, does your dad know what goes on in school with you?"

William nodded.

"Well, why doesn't he move you to another school or why doesn't he do something about it?" she asked, a little outraged.

"He tried to get me to transfer but I insisted that it was fine and that I would make it to graduation alive."

"I'm glad you did." She smiled and winked and laughed when he turned an interesting shade of red.

"We-well, I am glad that I did as well."

Buffy smiled widely at this. He was opening up faster than she thought that he would. She had thought that he was a little stiff but she knew that he was a great guy. So she went for it. She would make William open up to her. She vowed that to herself.


	3. Peeping Buffy

This is the life

Chapter 3

BPOV

Buffy sat in her room wondering if she should go next door and invite William over. Her mom would be cool with it because she knows that she has a good responsible daughter…and she was working late that day. Just kidding! Her mom did think that she was responsible and Buffy was proud of it. She looked through the open window and through the night and saw William in an open window. He was shirtless and his hair was wet.

Buffy mentally gasped. _He just took a shower!! My god. Look away Buffy. Look away. Damn it! Why aren't I looking away?! Oh right, because there is this amazingly hott naked boy in front of me. Well he has a towel on…so he's not necessarily naked…is he? Because if he is, then I am a peeping Tom. Why is it Tom? That's a very plain name… Whatever. I am a peeping Buffy._

She continued to ogle him. And ogle him. And ogle him. Then he just had to turn around and catch her staring at him! _Great. Now he is going to think that I am a freak. A peeping Buffy freak. _

She decided to play it cool though. "Hi, Will!" She smiled and waved

He turned a bright red but waved anyway. "He-hello, Buffy."

He tried to cover himself up more with the towel.

Buffy giggled. "Do you work out?"

He turned even brighter, if possible. "I- I like to stay in shape."

"And what a wonderful shape it is," Buffy mumbled so that Will could not hear. "Good for you!"

He nodded. "If you will excuse me. I have to get um…un-naked."

Buffy smiled and nodded. "Bye! See you later Will!"

He closed the window and shut the blinds, obscuring him from her view.

Buffy smacked her head. "Oh God. I am such a loser. A freakish loser. I hope he still likes me. Did he even like me to begin with? And now I am talking to myself."

_Poor will. I don't think that he even likes me…I will make him like me! Not force or manhandle him-that will be plan…last. For now I will try…a slow seduction type thing. I hope it works. It better work._

**A/N: Short chapter but it'll get better. Please review. I need some feedback.**


	4. Author's Note

Hey readers

**Hey readers. For those of you who are still diggin this story, I'm going to take it down and post it up again because I just realized when I looked at it that it's not all that great. So, I'm back. Sorry for the crazy long wait. Please don't come after me with pitchforks and other scary, pointy objects- my computer died ( But I got it worked out. So be on the look out for the newer, hopefully better version of this. Thanks for being so supportive, guys!**


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